This Game Is Too Realistic-Chapter 452.1: Surprise on Level B6

Official Forum.

Falling Feather: Three days! Revived and stuck for three whole days! Do you guys have any idea what I’ve been through?! TT

Sideline Slacking: Is the bug still not fixed?

Night Ten: Huh?

Falling Feather: I’m breaking apart...

Ample Time: Chill. It's just three days. Back then, Garbage disconnected the moment he left the shelter and missed several patches in a row, still pulled through.

Falling Feather: Several patches?! No way! QAQ

Gale: Was that even a bug though?

Ample Time: Fair enough. It was realistic. (side-eye smirk)

Yaya: Huh? It’s already September... It’s almost winter again. (´ω`)

Teng Teng: Yeah, I could feel it recently, less heat when I log in, even a touch of autumn chill.

Garbage: Shivering...

Old White: Hey lizard, maybe think about migrating south while you can still move? (grinning emoji)

Garbage: I’ll think about it.

Meanwhile, the royal palace banquet hadn’t even ended yet when Chu Guang returned aboard the Heart of Steel, instructing the crew to prepare for departure.

The airship’s onboard fighters, piloted by Goblin Corps, had landed on a temporary runway to the north of the capital. They would defend the city’s airspace and support ground troops northwest of Oasis No.9.

Though their commander had been sent to handle a mission in the south, likely already back in Clearspring City, it didn’t really matter. That asshole never contributed much as their commander anyway.

Unlike other corps, the Goblin Corps’ commander existed to fundraise, not to command. He usually died too fast to even issue orders.

Their unit philosophy was... If you want to fly, fly; if you want to shoot, shoot.

Coordinates to drop your bomb? Do your own math.

Air strikes and bombardment zones? Ask friendly units. If you screw up, run away.

As Mosquito once put it, his command philosophy was decentralized strategy. It might look like everyone was just messing around in each battle, but in reality, he could draw out everyone’s full potential. It was perfectly aligned with the administrator’s original intent when establishing the Corps System.

Regardless of it was, anyone who could land a fighter on an airship’s deck was clearly a skilled pilot. With ground and radio-guided support, protecting Lion City wouldn’t be a problem.

King Edward, of course, was reluctant to see Chu Guang go. But compared to him, the ministers were even more unwilling.

When word spread at the banquet that the administrator of the New Alliance had not married, many nobles immediately sprang into action, scrambling to find connections to introduce their daughters, no matter their purpose, be it warming beds or pouring tea, into his potential harem.

By the time the banquet ended, King Edward wasn’t even aware that the entire servant staff of the guest palace he’d prepared for Chu Guang had been swapped out.

Even the bookshelf-cleaning maid had been replaced by some duke’s delicate, fragile-looking daughter, so weak that one might worry she couldn’t even hold a ladder steady.

All the fuss was based on a single unverified rumor that the administrator liked books and had a huge collection.

Yet, the outcome surprised everyone, everyone except the old king.

No one expected that the administrator wouldn’t even go to the guest palace.

He didn’t stay a single night. The banquet wasn’t even over before he returned to the Heart of Steel, leaving behind a bunch of self-important nobles dumbfounded in the wind.

...

Back in the Heart of Steel...

Looking at Spring Water Commander, Chu Guang laid out his next steps. “We’ve won a strategic victory for now, but the war is far from over. The frontline has pushed all the way to the western edge of Oasis No.9. The furthest bunker is over 1,500 kilometers from Dawn City. Whether it’s defending or advancing, our logistics are going to be seriously strained.”

“This war can’t be won by us alone. I’m giving you two missions.”

“First, solidify the existing defense line and ensure the autumn harvest in the Lion Kingdom goes smoothly. It affects not only Oasis No.9’s food supply, but our own reserves.”

“Second, train our allies’ armies, equip them with our gear, instill our military doctrine. Officers from the First Corps will assist you.”

Players and NPCs had a language barrier. Veterans like Spring Water Commander could communicate in daily conversation just fine, but training would be a little beyond his abilities.

That was where NPC support came in.

The New Alliance had long developed two distinct command systems. One was for the players, while the other for NPCs.

Spring Water Commander placed his right fist against his chest, eyes sharp with resolve. “Mission accepted!”

Chu Guang nodded in approval, then paused before adding, “Promote more young officers without noble backgrounds in the Lion Kingdom. Give them opportunities to prove themselves.”

Based on his observations, the power structure of the Lion Kingdom consisted of two main factions.

One was loyal to the crown, Edward’s faction, dominant in court and civil affairs, devoted to the immutability of tradition and the divine order of the desert.

The other was Prince Wint’s faction, comprised of military generals advocating for internal conservatism and military modernization.

The first group hoped to bring in the New Alliance to counterbalance the second and drive out foreign threats, killing two birds with one stone. But their core aim was preserving their own rule.

The second group wanted the New Alliance’s military technology to strengthen their own influence and suppress the first, aiming to build a constitutional monarchy led by a noble council.

Though divided on some points, both factions were united in one thing. They had no intention of including commoners in their so-called unity.

Which meant that for officers of common birth, the ladder was essentially blocked. They were never considered part of the New Alliance.

Chu Guang’s plan was to take a piece of the nobles’ cake and hand it to those ambitious young officers.

They were the ones ready to accept new ideas, dissatisfied with the status quo, and eager to change it. Isolated from both court and army leadership, their only option was to align with the New Alliance, their only chance to realize their dreams.

And their loyalty to the New Alliance would far surpass anything they would feel toward a king or noble.

Such ideological bonds were far stronger than bloodlines.

Every worldly kingdom, in the end, was made up of ordinary people.

Having finished delegating tasks, Chu Guang gave the order to lift off.

The anchors and lift retracted. The mighty Heart of Steel turned, engines roaring to full power.

At a cruising speed of over 100 km/h, the 1,000 kilometer journey from Lionheart City in Oasis No.9 to Dawn City took just one night.

By the time dawn broke, the city skyline and a faint white mist were already visible through the bridge’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

Looking at the rapidly growing survivor settlement on the outskirts of Clearspring City, Chu Guang smiled like a proud father.

The northern commercial district had sprouted dozens of new buildings. What was once a barren stretch of land between the trading post and the freight train platform was now filled with rows of colorful market stalls.

People were no longer content with just a single North Street Market. A second, unofficial market had emerged from spontaneous gatherings, and as the volume of trade and freight increased, merchants no longer confined themselves to deals at the New Alliance’s trading post. They had started trading among themselves as well.

And it wasn’t just a boom in commerce. The New Alliance's progress in infrastructure could only be described as miraculous. Where once a lone railway connected the two northern and southern settlements, a highway had been added, and even high-voltage transmission towers had been erected.

Just one reactor produced enough energy to power the entire New Alliance’s needs. That energy enabled the rapid growth of energy-hungry industries like metallurgy. Factories and workshops had popped up across the region like mushrooms after a spring rain.

More than 30 tanks had just arrived from Dawn City’s new industrial zone. Lined up on the freight station’s platform, they were waiting to be unloaded. Some would be sent to the frontlines, integrated into logistics forces; others would be delivered to the trading post for buyers to inspect and purchase.

But for Chu Guang, the most captivating sight was still the farmland on the northern shore of Linghu Lake.

The tracks left behind by the Pioneer’s treads were buried beneath golden stalks of rice.

The weedy wilderness had been pushed all the way back to the forest’s edge.

Everything happened in a single year.

“Little Seven...”

“What is it, Master?” The voice that responded was light and energetic, like a string of cheerful wind chimes.

But this time, Chu Guang had no orders to give. Everyone was doing their job well.

He was just feeling sentimental, a sudden emotion brought on by the view, and with no one to share it with. “Nothing much. I was just thinking how sometimes time feels so fast, a blink and a year passes. Other times, it feels slow, like a year holds too many things to count.”

He didn’t expect Little Seven to understand.

But unexpectedly, Little Seven sighed in imitation of his tone and said with mock solemnity, “Yes... When I’m with Master, time always flies. But when we’re apart, every second feels like a year.”

Hearing it, Chu Guang glanced at the little figure swinging its feet on his shoulder.

Ever since he got the toy from Pai, Little Seven practically lived on him.

“I didn’t leave you for that long, did I?”

“Nope!” Little Seven gave a confident thumbs up, its bright eyes gleaming like bulbs. “Master is the best!”

“...”

With a light cough, Chu Guang turned away from the window. “Time to disembark.”

“Roger!” As it leapt from his shoulder, Little Seven caught a hovering drone and dove into Chu Guang’s pocket in one smooth motion.

He had warned Little Seven before, not to draw too much attention in front of others. The rumors about him were already outrageous enough.

He didn’t want people thinking he had some weird kink...

To avoid disturbing the citizens, Chu Guang had ordered the airship to hover directly above Linghu Wetland Park.

Behind the Great Wall, countless pairs of eyes watched nervously as he descended on the lift, landing at the base on the shelter’s surface.

He hadn’t even stepped off the lift when Mosquito spotted him and dashed over with a wide grin on his face. “Honorable administrator, traitor Falling Feather has been apprehended!”

“To prevent any unexpected outbreaks, we locked him up in the little black room next to Neeko... Though, it’s a shame, he doesn’t seem to be to her taste.”

Chu Guang’s brow twitched but he didn’t scold him.

Based on current evidence, it was likely that Falling Feather’s corpse had been possessed by the Slime Mole from Oasis No.7.

Given the uncertainty of the situation, keeping it under Neeko’s watch really was the best option.

The overwhelming pressure coming from a Deathclaw was a deterrent in itself.

“... I understand. Go on then.”

“Got it!” Mosquito disappeared in a puff of wind.

Agility type players truly lived up to their reputation.

Chu Guang ignored him and walked directly to Neeko’s den.

To his surprise, Falling Feather didn’t seem at all intimidated by Neeko’s presence. Rather, it was Neeko who seemed visibly uneasy, baring her teeth in warning as she glared at the cell next door.

Inside, Falling Feather looked blank and dazed, harmless, even.